Sarnia’s workforce watchdog’s annual report
highlights some troubling trends in the region — and important areas of need
for an aging region flush with employment opportunities.
In brief: there are fewer people working in
Sarnia, and quite a few are nearing retirement.
According to the Sarnia-Lambton Workforce
Development Board, nearly 6,500 fewer people were employed in 2016 than were
employed in 2006. That drop-off, from 63,000 to 56,500, was mostly the result
of older people retiring and younger people leaving home.
“We are really great at keeping people once
they get here. What we’re really not good at is recruiting them here,” Shauna
Carr, executive director with the development board, said.
“They need to go out
and get a broader world perspective . . . we need to really look at strategies
to bring those working-age folks back here.”
Between 2011 and 2016, young and working age
adults — between 18 and 44 — decreased by roughly 2,200 people, leading to a
net loss of more than 1,200 workers overall.
Image. U.S. Army.
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From Troy Shantz, Sarnia Journal
About half of the fifth floor of the St.
Clair Corporate Centre in downtown Sarnia has been leased to a software company
with plans of further expansion.
U.S-based Clear Care Inc. arrived in Sarnia
last year when it purchased HomeTrak, a homegrown software company and
competitor located on Exmouth Street.
The combined company has grown from 20 local
employees to nearly 50 and moved into the 9,600-square-feet of office space
this spring.
“We are a lot more economical for hiring than
in California,” said Moyra Miller, VP of customer success.
“Clear Care approved this much space with
expansion in mind.”
The company, based in San Francisco, makes
software used by 4,000 private duty home-care agencies providing housekeeping,
maintenance and other services to independent-living seniors.
Image. Troy Shantz
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Chris Gould says Sarnia-Lambton is 'punching
above its weight class' when it comes to positioning itself as a community that
represents one of the best models of economic, social and cultural development
in the digital age.
That’s what the Intelligent Community Forum’s
Smart21 Communities program is all about and Sarnia and Lambton County have
made the list for the fourth year running.
It’s no easy feat, considering there were
about 400 communities vying for a spot, said Gould, whose 'day job' is with
Bluewater Regional Networks, the subsidiary of Bluewater Power that is focused
on running a digital fibre optic internet service throughout the area.
Names on the list, which also includes Winnipeg,
Greater Victoria, and Abbotsford, B.C., were announced on October 25 in
Hamilton.
Judging for the Smart21 Communities of 2019
included evaluation of an area’s broadband access, knowledge workforce,
innovation, digital equity, sustainability and advocacy.
Image. Author unknown.
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